This study presents a new approach to the phenomenon of Muslim pious foundations, or waqfs, focussing on the evolution of the institution in the urban context and the elaboration of the legal framework to accommodate the urban system of control. Taking Damascus as an example, it is shown how the waqf-institution determined the shape and character of Muslim cities.
Richard van Leeuwen, Ph.D. (1992) in Arabic and Islamic Studies, has published extensively on the history of the Middle East in the Ottoman period, and Arabic literature. His publications include Notables and Clergy in Mount Lebanon: the Khzin sheikhs and the Maronite Church (1736-1840) ( Brill, 1994). He is currently working as a translator of Arabic literature in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
